Limit Zero
by Maliva
Summary: An anomaly ocurred. As the Grand Order starts not with one Master, but two. With the future of humanity resting on their shoulders, will they prevail, or fall. "More food, please." "Dako, that's your fourth bowl." "I am still growing, alright!"


**All rights belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

The City was in an uproar.

The people celebrated.

The rebels cheered.

And a lone figure slowly made his way through the masses, unnoticed in the euphoric atmosphere that clogged the air.

A cloak obscured his face, yet if one looked closely, they would be able to see a small smile, and fiery strands of red poking out.

Some people recognized him, the majority rebel soldiers, others, people he had helped during his . No one called out to him. Yet they all nodded, in both respect and gratitude when he passed by them, or even patted his shoulder if close enough. Some stared at him in awe as he walked, his steps calm, yet firm. Others glanced at him warily, the things they saw him do still fresh in their minds.

The figure paid no attention to them. He acknowledged the small gestures directed to him and chuckled heartily when some children ran past him, even helping one that stumbled into his legs.

"Easy, little one. There's no need to rush." He said.

It was half an hour later he stopped walking, the city already behind him. Pulling an object out of his cloak, he unfurled the cloth that covered it, revealing a German short sword, a Katzbalger. This sword in particular had an interesting story, belonging to a young soldier who participated in several skirmishes in the Italian Wars. It was a blade with its fair share of experience.

The young man, who looked like he was probably in his young to mid-twenties, had a kind smile on his face, accompanied by a pair of vibrant golden orbs. His red hair waving softly in the slow breeze, gave his already calm look an even softer tone.

He was currently gazing at the blade in his hands, while remembering how it ended up with him. It was a gift from the leader of the rebels. 'A trophy' he had said, 'and a sign of thanks to the warrior that made this possible'. The smile transformed to a childish grin, similar to a kid who just received a bag of candy.

Making sure that he was completely alone and that no one had tried following him, the figure closed his eyes, concentrating.

Below his clothes, blue lines started spreading through his body. He started whispering softly under his breath. As he continued, the air started to ripple.

The world itself shimmered, until the figure was no longer in the road that leaded out of the city, but on a plain of green grass.

The sun was no longer in the highest point of the sky, but just above the horizon, set in an everlasting sunrise.

Without hesitation, he plunged the sword into the ground. There, it stood proudly, and shined as if just polished. It certainly would have looked weird, a lone sword in such a place.

But this sword was not alone, because everywhere the sight could reach were countless weapons. Sword, spears, daggers, hammers, axes, even shields… and more, so much more; some small, others tall as buildings; some of simple craft, and others who looked more as pieces of art than tools of war.

They were countless, infinite, _unlimited_.

The man looked around and took a deep breath, the smell of steel assaulting him from all sides, yet accompanied by uncountable others.

'Sometimes I would like to just remain here.' He thought. 'It's so… calm.'

He immediately shook his head. It was not the time for doubt to cloud his thoughts. There was still a long way to go; he doubted he was even close to reaching his goal.

Once he reached it, then he would think about taking a rest.

Maybe.

'Though the thought of some vacations doesn't sound half bad.' He mused.

He still had some contacts in South America, and he heard that Brazil was recovering pretty nicely. Not only that, but it had been some time since he contacted home, though he was both dreading and looking forward to that.

He was pretty sure Rin and Saber had some things to tell him once he decided to go back. Every word accompanied by some form of either magical or physical pain. Or both, if they felt creative.

"Well, I will need to think about it. But for now I should hit the road." He would need to start his journey now if he wanted to be on Madagascar by the end of the month.

'If I am not wrong, I probably should have enough food to make it to the next city, and I can always hunt something to eat. Once there I can just get a job at some restaurant or food stand.' He needed to keep his skills sharp, and he was really looking forward to cooking in an actual kitchen after so long. 'I can even try out that dish the locals teached me-'

His thinking came to a sudden halt when out of nowhere; a familiar glowing circle appeared beneath his feet. His eyes widening, he had but a moment to process the phenomenon before abruptly disappearing, the plains of grass following shortly after.

* * *

" _...Master candidates…"_

" _...47...critical condition...short on medical supplies…"_

" _...ridiculous! Cryopreserve...don't die!"_

" _...right away!"_

* * *

Fujimaru Gudako felt completely lost.

No, actually, she felt a lot more than just lost.

Scared, angry, sad, and the list continued.

But above all, lost.

Gudako had been a pretty normal girl. She had finished school and was ready to go to university with slightly above average grades, her only notable quality being her aptitude in physical activities.

And then she had come across that stupid flier. They had told her of the Chaldea project, and she had accepted.

She remembers saying goodbye to her mother, her eyes teary as she embraced her. Her father's proud look as she made her goodbyes.

Then, after arriving in this frozen plains, she had been told that she was a magus.

An actual, lighting maker, fireball throwing, honest to god-root-whatever, magus.

Granted, they had made it very clear that there were limitations, and that one would need to spend years studying in order to reach the higher levels of magecraft. They had even said that her circuits, which were apparently what one used to make magecraft, were on the low scale when it came to quality. But still!

Magic!

When they had told her for what they had wanted to recruit her, she had been beyond shocked. It seemed too surreal. To be a master of an 'Heroic Spirit'. A hero of old whose legend has been carved in the wall of human history. Heroes like Hercules, Achilles, Odysseus and so many more.

And just a few hours ago she was being briefed, along with 47 of this others 'Masters' as they have been called, on what could only be called a world-ending event. How the future of humanity depended on their success.

And that's when hell started.

She had been waiting in that pod called "Coffin". Counting from one hundred to zero backwards, trying not to think on the horrible way her stomach twisted, how little space she had available to move.

Then she blacked out.

It was only much, much later, after she woke up inside that stupid cage, squirming and crying like a newborn would, when they pulled her out kicking and screaming, that the memories came back.

They were short. A flash coming through the little window on the door of the pod, an ear-shattering sound, which was thankfully slightly muffled by the sound isolation in the coffin.

It took her brain a second to realize that an explosion had occurred just outside her pod. Then came the heat and then...darkness.

It was scary, and her brain couldn't stop replaying what could have been her final moments. Dying like that, on a box of steel and cables, without having accomplished nothing of actual worth in all her life. Gudako couldn't help but compare it to the way a pig was slaughtered.

No wait, that doesn't sound right.

She couldn't help but compare to a dog being sacrificed…

Nope, still sounded weird.

"Agh, why am I thinking of this of all things!" Ruffling her hair, Gudako looked around the room she had been sulk- _thinking_ for the last couple of minutes.

'I should go and look for Romani. He did ask me to tell him if I needed any help.'

Sighing, Gudako let her head hit the wall behind her. She felt emotionally drained. Her mood had taken a massive blow. She had been so excited. To go out there and leave her mark on human history. To walk the halls of some ancient palace along a great figure of legend. Hell, maybe kill a dragon if the opportunity presented.

Instead, here she was. Lamenting her fate.

Hell the guy that ended up with the director in the middle of a singularity is already a thousand times more useful than her simply by virtue of _being_ there.

'What was his name again?' she thought. 'Ryuka? No, not that. Hitsuka? No.' She remembered the doctor mentioning it when he tried explaining the situation to her, but her mind strayed easily from most topics. Unless it was about food.

"Ah, Ritsuka!"

This one truly was blessed with a laser-like focus.

Reclining back after trying to find a better position for her back, Gudako considered the available options.

She didn't think going to the command center was a good idea. A lot of things were happening and she didn't want to get in anyone's way. There was also a lot of noise in that place, and it sort of bothered her.

She could also go and get something to eat, but she doubted the cafeteria was open with a crisis like the current one.

'I can try and practice with my circuits, I suppose.' It was only yesterday that her magic circuits, the canals of the soul through which the prana coursed, had been opened, and Gudako still had ghost pains across her body just from the memory alone. But they had told her that with use it would become easier.

She had spent the majority of that day with her circuits opened as per the medical staffs recommendation, so she had yet to try opening them herself. Still it didn't hurt to try. She hoped.

'Ok Dako. Just do as they told you. Visualize the prana running through your circuits.' Like a dam letting water flow. Or maybe a car starting up.

Clenching her eyes shut, she let her mind drift.

Slowly, something formed. A light flickered, but it was not big enough. She needed more. She needed something that would catch that little spark. So she imagined it.

She imagined it being in her circuits, coursing through her body, inert.

And then, a small flame flickered into existence in her.

Gudako froze as orange lines appeared across her body, as if molten lava had somehow made it below her skin. At first the pain shocked her, but it slowly diminished until it was a simple echo in the back of her mind.

Slowly, she let the prana flood the space around her. The instructors had told her that she should try doing this to practice her control. She pictured a furnace, letting the heat in her body fill the room.

While all of this happened, Gudako had failed to acknowledge the circle inscribed in the floor of the room. It was not that she hadn't seen it. It was that she simply didn't know what its function was.

And so, with the prana coming from Gudako slightly flooding the room. The circle reacted.

This alone wouldn't have been enough. But deep in her mind, a part of Gudako had begged for this.

Growing up without siblings, Gudako had always wondered what it felt like to have one. To have an older sibling, like some of her friends. An older brother that would look out for her when she needed it the most, that was always asking her where she was going until she tired of it. An older sister to talk with all those things she didn't want to talk with not even her mother, because of how embarrassing it was. Younger siblings to play with, to laugh with, to bother her when she was feeling sad and alone and make her feel better with their smiles.

But above all, she wanted someone to come and save her, to help her in this moment.

She wanted a sibling to support her.

She wanted a hero to save her.

And she wanted a friend to be by her side for whatever was to come.

'Maybe I can go and take a small nap after-' Her train of thought was interrupted as a gasp of pain forced itself through her lips. Her circuits lit up until they seemed almost white, as if whatever was inside them had reached a great temperature.

The pain and heat almost made her lose consciousness. But the growing light coming from the circle in the middle of the room was enough of a distraction for the girl.

And so, the anomaly that was a second Master of Chaldea created another anomaly. No, to be more precise, it made an impossibility a possibility. And from that possibility, a reality came forth.

When Emiya Shirou recovered from the flash of light that almost blinded him, the first thing he did was clamp down the need to let out the contents in his stomach. The second one was wonder what had been that feeling that went through his body in the interval between the appearance of that light and his arrival to… wherever it was that he ended up. That and why he felt so cold.

The third thing he did was try and figure _where_ he ended up.

His vision occupied on his majority by smoke, Shirou relied on his other senses to map out his surrounding. At the same time he activated his circuits, noting how easily they responded. He filed that for later though, and immediately traced one of his most familiar blades.

Going to the familiars steps of tracing, an elegant katana appeared in his right hand.

This weapon did not have a name, but it was not normal either. The last work of unknown blacksmith from before the end of the Age of Gods.

How it came to be on Shirou's possession though, is a story for another time.

Concentrating around him, Shirou detected a strong scent close to him. It smelled of… a campfire in the woods was the first that came to Shirou's mind. The scent of burning, not the unpleasant kind, but the one that calmed the mind and relaxed the body, assaulted his nose.

Looking down, he confirmed his thoughts with the circle he was standing on.

'I see. That's why the circle seemed so familiar. I have been summoned.' At this, a frown appeared on his face.

'But, how?' He was completely sure that he was human the last time he checked. 'Unless…'

Dreading the worst, Shirou immediately runned prana through his body. But what he got almost made him stumble.

His muscle fibers, his bones and even some of the tissues of his organs had been altered.

No, not altered. Reinforced, or something very similar. There was no prana involved in this, as far as he could tell. Whatever happened to his body, it was permanent.

Before he could continue deciphering his current situation, he was taken out of his thoughts by a gasp in front of him. His head shooting up, his eyes met an exact pair. At this both pairs widened, and continued doing so as both gazes drifted, taking note of the numerous similarities between the two.

As the two redheads stared at each other, Gudako's command seals flared to life, drawing Shirou's gaze to them.

'So that confirms it.' Shocked wouldn't be enough to describe how Shirou felt. He had questions, and by the way the girl was looking at him, she had questions too. But, his gut told him that the answers could wait a little.

Straightening up, Shirou's mind went back to that night in his shed, that night where his life changed forever. And he hoped that, just as Saber had been there for him (and still was), he would be able to be there for his master.

He only hoped that there would be no tsunderes to make this ride even more bumpy than how it looked.

'Why do I fell like I just jinxed myself?'

With that thought in his mind, Shirou broadened his posture, in what he believed could be considered a regal way. And it worked. Sort of. Though his presence was not in the level of the legendary king of britain, having spent so much time in her and a certain pigtailed magus presence forced Shirou to learn how to carry himself appropriately.

With the most dignified voice he could muster, the Servant opened his mouth.

"In response to your summons, I have come."

Had Shirou been paying more attention to his and Gudako's position, he would have noticed the similarity of the scene to that of his own past. With Gudako leaning on her back against the wall of the room, and with him standing tall, the light from the roof shining down on him.

"I ask of you…"

His eyes, firm and determined, yet kind. And hers, confused and awed, yet with a small shine of hope behind them.

"Are you my Master?"

* * *

" _All limits are self-imposed"- Icarus_

* * *

 **All right, done.**

 **What you have just read is the fruit of several sleepless nights of a guy with a lot of imagination.**

 **Now i will proceed to say what you should expect from this fic.**

 **First i want to start by saying the english is not my first language, so sorry in advance for any errors that may squish through. The same for any pacing change that may happen.**

 **Now to the warnings of the fic itself.**

 **This is going to be Shirou/Harem, and Ritsuka (Male FGO protagonist)/Harem, though in the latter's case, it will be mostly background development. There will be pairing between servant. And i will make small hints between Gudako and others.**

 **For those of you who play the game. I wil be following the NA timeline, so 2017 is when the Grand Order starts. Also this Shirou doesn't have any connection with any Heroic Spirit. He only has Avalon and Archer's memories.**

 **I will also be focusing in Gudako and Shirou the majority of the time, and sometimes in Ritsuka if the situation calls for it.**

 **Also i will probably modify several Servants. By this i mean for example that Tamamo-no-mae and Nero will not known about the mooncell, not because i don't like the Hakunos or extra or something like that, but because they will come from the Throne of Heroes, as it doesn't make sense that they would be here if they are with Hakuno in the Mooncell. The same goes for a lot of heroes. And i will also handle Pseudo-servants a little different than how the game does.  
**

 **As you can see i am taking a lot of liberties. But that's what fanfiction is for isn't it.**

 **Regarding strength of each servant. I am going to go mostly by lore and stats over gameplay. Meaning that Servants like Siegfried, Asterios, and such, may end up higher than known five stars, like Waver.**

 **Also, this Shirou will come from UBW good end, but what happens after they get to the clock tower is completely made up by me, as i believe there were a lot of things left unresolved between a lot of people.**

 **Last warning. Though Shirou will at first be very underpowered, he may end up being a little op to some people. He isn't gonna be soloing Beasts or beating people like Karna, or anything like that, but i should warn you.**

 **I believe that's everything for now. If not i can always just put everything i missed in the next chapter.**

 **Thank you for reading.**


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